At Maryland Day, a Chill and Thrills
Terps Fan Out Across Campus for Fun, Freebies and Lots of Learning
Terps, friends, families and other members of the community fanned out on McKeldin Mall to play games, watch performances, meet members of the basketball teams—and take photos with Testudo.
Photo by Jess Daninhirsch '26
Wearing rain jackets instead of shells for protection, tens of thousands of hardy Terrapins descended onto the University of Maryland campus on Saturday for a cool and damp Maryland Day—and found bright spots everywhere.
They sampled a new flavor of Maryland Dairy ice cream, painted a vibrant temporary “Love for All” mural at the Arts for All booth, and cheered at the football team’s annual spring game. They fished for foam turtles in the ODK Fountain, swung on the high ropes course and built molecules out of a jillion Legos. They watched a towering fire tornado take shape in an engineering lab, packed meals for people in need, and peeked at the monumental new sculpture outside the David Driskell Center.
Of course, they picked up free swag: shopping bags, basil plants, frequently banned books and (hooray!) T-shirts.
And alums and other guests took plenty of photos decked out in their Terp gear, posing with friends, family and Fidos with Testudo the giant mascot (or Testudo the bronze statue), near the horses and cows at the Campus Farm, and at lots of landmark sites, from the “Wimpy Kid” statue in the Stamp to the “Do Good” icon in front of Thurgood Marshall Hall.
Our photo staff snapped more than a few pics, too. Here are some favorites:
From left, first-year students Sifene Fufa, Tammy Nguyen and Jennifer Boateng, all from Silver Spring, Md., use toy nets to fish for foam turtles in the ODK Fountain—a Maryland Day tradition. (Photo by Riley N. Sims Ph.D. ’23)
Saturday’s temperature didn’t make it out of the 50s, but Dennis Tudor '27, left, hopped into RecWell’s kiddie pool on LaPlata Beach to balance on the log roll as Kian Mercado '27 looked on. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
On Hornbake Plaza, John Gray, senior executive chef in Dining Services, (left), introduces a global cooking demonstration with special guests Miss Maryland Savena Mushenge and Miss Maryland Teen Madelyn Posey. (Photo by Riley N. Sims Ph.D. ’23)
Rose Xinran Qi MFA '21 (center) leads a class on the fundamentals of Chinese dance, one of dozens of musical, theater and dance activities available on Maryland Day at The Clarice. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Jill Lau ’09 and son Jet Allen pose with an off-road race car that the Terps Racing student team designed and built. (Photo by John T. Consoli)
Shyanne Sellers, a guard and All-America finalist on the women’s basketball team, signs autographs for fans on the Main Stage on McKeldin Mall. (Photo by Riley N. Sims Ph.D. ’23)
The student group Terps Against Hunger enlisted volunteers to spend an hour at Ritchie Coliseum packing nutritious meals for food-insecure families in the DMV. (Photo by Jess Daninhirsch '26)
Members of the student gymnastics group Gymkana show off a dizzying variety of flips, leaps and handstands for a rapt audience in the School of Public Health Building. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Young Maryland Day attendees contribute to Lisa Marie Thalhammer’s temporary "Love for All" mural at the Arts for All tent on the Mall. (Photo by Riley N. Sims Ph.D. ’23)
Students from Block and Bridle, the club that raises livestock on campus, demonstrate their skills showing hogs at the Campus Farm. (Photo by Jess Daninhirsch '26)
Members of the University of Maryland Drumline set toes tapping and fingers snapping during a performance on McKeldin Mall (Photo by Riley N. Sims Ph.D. ’23)
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